Been a while, hasn't it? Well, I'm not dead! Have this fluffy little chapter to tide you over until we get to the fun part in the next one! I'm not sure how many chapters will be coming, but we ARE nearing the end. I don't plan on continuing this past where the movie leaves off, but I guess you never really know for sure. But anyway, here we are! Go! Read and enjoy yourselves!

"Sparrow! Sparrow, I need to borrow your phone," Will called from down the hall.

I groaned and rolled over only to be met with someone's face. "Ow."

Oh. Right. Lash was still here.

He yawned. "Morning, beautiful." His chocolate eyes were tired and half-open, shaggy brown hair falling over his face in some places and sticking up in others. It was a sight I could get used to.

"Sparrow?" Will called again.

"What?" I asked, still bleary.

"Phone?" I could hear him at the door and just rolled over again so that my face was in a pillow. It was morning. I was supposed to be sleeping, not letting my stupid brother wake me up at ungodly hours.

"Phone, Sparr…ow?" I could practically feel his stare on the back of my head.

"Yes?" I said, voice muffled by the pillow and the fact that Lash decided to roll onto me. "Dammit, Lash."

At first I thought he was just being a jerk, but then I realized that he had fallen asleep again. This guy was worse than me. He was now stretched out across my entire bed, his face tucked into the space between my neck and my shoulder as I struggled to breathe through the pillow that had suddenly become my enemy.

"Sparrow, do you have any idea what dad will do if he finds him here?" Will hissed, closing the door.

"Never really thought it through," I said tiredly. "Now just go away, I have sleeping to do."

"Come on, get up!" he said, grabbing my ankle to pull me out of bed.

"No!" I yelled into my pillow.

But that's the thing about younger brothers; they think that "no" means "yes" and "stop pulling on my fucking ankle" is a green light for dragging you away from your mattress. But I wasn't so easily swayed, and grabbed on to the nearest solid thing, which just so happened to be Lash.

"The fuck?" he grumbled as we began sliding off the bed.

"You have to resist!" I said as I hit the floor. Lash followed and landed on me, probably breaking something that I needed to function.

"Stronghold?" he asked as he sat up.

"Yeah?" Will asked, already heading toward the door.

"You are so dead."

Will practically flew down the stairs while I wasted no time in ushering Lash toward the window.

"Aww, babe, come on," he said as I pushed him out.

"Nope. You're leaving before the Commander can find you."

He grinned sleepily. Oh, how I adored him like this. "A'ight, fine. I'll see you tonight, sweet cheeks."

With that, he was out the window. I peered out to make sure that he hadn't killed himself—not that I cared, of course—and saw him heading off toward the road. He turned and grinned at me, saluting before he continued on his way.

Suddenly, my heart was all aflutter with girlish excitement. I was going to homecoming. With a really hot guy. I still needed a dress, but I figured that Layla would be able to help me with that.

I left my room to go after Will and found him getting an apple out of the kitchen. I promptly tackled him.

"Ow!" he squawked as I got him in a chokehold. "What's this for?!"

"Waking me up!" I yelled. He easily threw me off and into the wall, where I stayed for a second before jumping up and head butting him in the stomach, plowing straight across the room until we crashed in a heap out in the living room.

"What are you two doing?" Josie asked, staring at us as she closed her phone. "Never mind. I've got a big sale this morning, so I want you to behave. Please, don't destroy the house."

"Of course!" we chirped innocently.

She smiled as she headed for the front door. "Oh, hello Layla."

I glared at Will before untangling myself from his legs and strutting out of the room to the ginger girl. She was definitely not here to talk to him, and I could only guess that she was developing psychic abilities, because I definitely needed her at the moment.

"Hey, Sparrow," she said, trying to hide her uneasiness.

"What's up?" I asked, leaning in the doorway.

She stared past me at something and I turned to see Will popping his head around the corner to watch. "Can we…take a walk?"

"Definitely." I hopped out the door and together we made our way to the sidewalk.

"I saw Lash leave a few minutes ago," she said finally, breaking the silence.

"Oh?"

"Are you going to homecoming with him?" I could tell that she was holding herself back, trying her best not to reprimand me. I don't think she would ever be able to accept Lash, seeing as he was such an asshole to her and all of her friends.

"Actually, I was hoping you could help me with that," I said. "I need a dress."

She stared at me. "The dance is tonight, Sparrow!"

"I know."

"You waited until now to get a dress?!"

"He only asked me yesterday!"

She sighed in mock frustration. "I guess I could help. My mom has a friend-"

"I knew you'd come through!" I interrupted as she rolled her eyes.

"Let's go meet her, then."

It turned out that Layla's mom knew a woman named Lisa who was in the fashion industry. She owned a little boutique downtown where she catered mainly to bridal parties and girls during the prom season, and although I had never been there before, I had heard of her.

Lisa had graduated from Sky High back in the day and, like so many other superheroes, used her power not for regular crime fighting but instead in her every day job. She had the telekinetic ability to bend fabric to her will, enabling her to create magnificent, runway-ready dresses in mere minutes. Apparently she had perfected it to the point where, if she had enough sewing machines, she could get twenty done at the same time.

So she measured me and disappeared into the back room while I waited with Layla, who was currently trying on her own dress.

"Does it look okay?" she asked, spinning in front of the mirrors.

"Of course," I mumbled. I wasn't really into this sort of thing.

"I'm not sure if I like the waistline," she mused. "What do you think?"

I sighed. "It's fine, Layla. You're very pretty."

"Here we are!" Lisa said, walking out with a dark blue dress in her arms. "Come, come! Try it on!"

The fabric was an iridescent blue that shimmered in the light, shifting from a bright purple to nearly black every time I moved. There was a silver halter neckline that tied before exposing my open back, and the skirt flared out at the waist below a tight torso.

Layla gasped before clapping excitedly. "I love it!"

"Well enjoy it while you can," I grumbled. "This is the only time you'll ever see me in anything like this."